General Secretary and President To Lam meets Governor-General of New Zealand
VGP - General Secretary and President To Lam had a meeting with Governor-General of New Zealand Dame Cindy Kiro in Auckland, on August 13.
General Secretary and President To Lam (L) meets Governor-General of New Zealand Dame Cindy Kiro, Auckland, August 13, 2026 - Photo: VNA
Kiro highlighted the historic significance of the Vietnamese leader's visit as it marks the first time a Vietnamese General Secretary and President has visited New Zealand in both capacities.
She expressed her impression at Viet Nam's rapid development and growing international standing, adding that the development of bilateral relations has been based not only on a strong foundation of political trust but also on people-to-people connections, particularly the role of the approximately 15,000 Vietnamese in New Zealand.
To Lam, for his part, highly appreciated the Governor-General's role in promoting initiatives on social welfare, nature conservation, and enhancing understanding and community cohesion.
He spoke highly of Viet Nam-New Zealand relations, which have spanned more than half a century and been nurtured by political trust, mutual respect and sincere affections between people of the two countries.
New Zealand has always been a trusted friend and partner, supporting Viet Nam in human resource training and providing official development assistance (ODA) in various areas, including agriculture, climate change response, disaster recovery and education, noted To Lam.
He expressed thanks to the Governor-General for her contributions to nurturing friendship between the two countries, expressing his confidence that New Zealand would be an important partner accompanying Viet Nam in its industrialization, modernization and international integration in the years ahead.
To Lam suggested the Governor-General continue to promote development cooperation programs in Viet Nam in the fields of education, agriculture, climate change response and gender equality.
The top Vietnamese leader proposed New Zealand support Viet Nam in English language teaching, contributing to the successful implementation of the plan to make English a second language in the country.
In its capacity as coordinator of ASEAN-New Zealand relations for the 2024-2027 period, To Lam affirmed that Viet Nam would make every effort to deepen the bilateral relations.
The two leaders pledged to foster close coordination and mutual support at multilateral forums, contributing to an environment of peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.
The same day, To Lam attended the 2026 Viet Nam–New Zealand higher and vocational education forum./.